


Outdoor Skills

by Lullabylily



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rating: NC17, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-17
Updated: 2012-03-17
Packaged: 2017-11-02 02:19:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/363920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lullabylily/pseuds/Lullabylily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur invites himself along Merlin and Gwaine’s three day camping trip. Set in the ‘middle of nowhere’, Merlin gets stung by a bee. Nobody panic! Except that Merlin is, of course, allergic…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Outdoor Skills

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my beta han_corrupted! Written for merlin_holidays 2011 for reiya_wakayama's prompt.

  
**Outdoor Skills**  
  
"This isn't a competition,” Merlin told Arthur when he was loading Gwaine’s van.  
  
Arthur tried his most innocent-looking smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”   
  
Merlin just frowned at him. Arthur knew very well what Merlin was talking about. Merlin had seen right through him when Arthur had invited himself to tag along his and Gwaine’s impromptu spring break camping trip.   
  
"I bet I know more about outdoor survival than either of you," Arthur had boasted when he’d offered to join Gwaine and Merlin. "I've been hunting plenty of times."  
  
"Hunting?" Gwaine had snorted. "You mean you tagging along with your dad, watching the privileged rich shoot some poor deer that was bred to serve as your pastime? Retiring at night in some five star chalet?"  
  
Arthur hadn’t been able to prevent blood rushing to his face and Gwaine had to know he’d hit close to home.   
  
"You're welcome to tag along with Merlin and me,” Gwaine had said finally. He’d looked at Arthur challengingly. The game was on, Arthur had decided, jutting his chin forward in a defiant gesture.   
  
“Great! It’ll be fun, the three of us together,” Merlin had awkwardly tried to break the tension.   
  
‘Not a competition.’ Merlin’s words rang through his head countless of times that day.   
  
Everything was a competition. Who set up the tent faster? It was a draw, and they were both to blame when it collapsed on them during the first night.   
  
Who cooked a better dinner? They were just heating up canned food above their self-made fire, but Arthur still managed to lose that one; wanting to spice up his canned beans, Merlin yelled the bush-found herbs were poisonous - after he'd already dropped them in the can. Admitting defeat to Gwaine was deathly, but at least his food wasn't.  
  
And it continued through to the next day.   
  
Who could push the other one into the water first? Merlin had been staring at them as if they were lunatics when they starting pushing and pulling, nearly tearing each other's clothes (Arthur had barely refrained from tugging Gwaine's hair). Of course it was  _Merlin_  who had ended up headfirst into the water as he got caught right in the middle of their heated scuffle.  
  
Merlin had looked... quietly furious when he got out of the water, Arthur and Gwaine sheepishly offering him a hand. The 'drowned puppy' look was good on him though, Arthur decided, when he couldn't tear his eyes away from the dark wet hair plastered to Merlin's dripping forehead.  
  
Dry clothes were found. Merlin borrowed one of Gwaine's hoodies. Arthur had to mentally reprimand himself for the pang of jealousy he felt when watching Merlin wear another man's clothes. It wasn't about  _that_  with him and Merlin. It wasn't. It couldn’t be. But that didn’t mean he’d allow Gwaine to get his hands on Merlin.  
  
So that was why Merlin went barefoot that day. None of them had a spare pair of shoes.  
  
Naturally something was bound to go seriously wrong at some point. It involved  _Merlin_  after all. Trouble always seemed to find it. Walking around in a deserted forest, barefoot, was obviously _asking_  for trouble. Arthur only realized that when it was too late.   
  
It happened when they were bringing back the firewood they’d collected. Merlin screamed suddenly, crumpling to the ground in one swoop, grabbing his foot. The firewood he’d been carrying ended up scattered on the ground, Merlin’s face a painful grimace.  
  
"Merlin!" Arthur was at Merlin's side in seconds, dropping to his knees. His hand followed Merlin's, down towards one of his pale, long feet.   
  
"Something stung me," Merlin choked out. "I think I stepped on a wasp."  
  
Arthur swallowed hard when his eyes landed on Merlin's foot. It was clear that Merlin  _had_  been stung; the sting still sticking out from the bottom of his foot.  
  
"Yes, you're stung. A bee or a wasp."  
  
Merlin made a distressed sound.   
  
"It's alright, it won't kill you!" Arthur tried to sound reassuring, his eyes widening as the area around the sting mark looked alarmingly swollen.  
  
Arthur grabbed Merlin's foot tightly with both hands. "Hold still!" Arthur commanded, stopping Merlin's writhing.  
  
"What happened?" Gwaine's breathless voice sounded from behind him.  
  
Arthur turned around. "Merlin's been stung by a bee."  
  
"Oh, figures." Gwaine shrugged. “I thought he'd fallen off a cliff or something."  
  
"There are no cliffs around here," Arthur retorted angrily, watching Gwaine recoil slightly at the harsh tone of his voice.  
  
"Hurts," Merlin stammered, trying to pull his foot away from Arthur’s grasp, his brow shiny from sweat, "I'm… a-allergic." His breathing was erratic and it was clear that he was close to panicking. It sent a wave of cold fear up Arthur's body.   
  
"Allergic?" he heard Gwaine ask behind him, voice suddenly very small.  
  
"I have to take the sting out," Arthur told Merlin, ignoring Gwaine and trying hard to appear calm, as if he actually knew what he was doing.  
  
Merlin just nodded, his eyes glazing over.  
  
"Don't faint on me!" Arthur joked, but it came across panicked. Merlin choked out a huff of laughter.  
  
Arthur looked closely at the sting. It disappeared seamlessly into Merlin's skin, though the area around it looked irritated. It would be best to pull out the sting with his nails; he hoped they were long enough to grasp the little bit that stuck out from under Merlin’s skin. He had to be careful not to push more poison into Merlin’s foot.  
  
Breathlessly Arthur set to the task, grasping the sting tightly between two fingers and pulling it away from Merlin's long foot. Merlin groaned and his body had tensed even more, but otherwise showed no other signs of distress.  
  
Arthur tossed the sting aside. "There," Arthur said. "You should be happy knowing the insect got a capital punishment for hurting you."  
  
Merlin laughed, a weak, false sort of sound.  
  
"We need to get the poison out now," Arthur continued. Gwaine made a faint ‘ugh’ sounding noise at that and Arthur didn’t have to look up at him to know he looked pale. If the circumstances had been any different, he’d have mocked Gwaine for it. Now all that mattered was  _Merlin_ , who urgently needed his attention.   
  
Arthur lifted up Merlin's foot. The small entry wound from the sting was a clearly visible, round mark. "The only way I know how to get the poison out..." his throat grew too dry to talk.  
  
He felt Gwaine's eyes on him, staring at him hard. But he didn't have time for second-guessing. He brought his mouth to Merlin's foot, his lips wrapping around the hot, swollen bump of the sting.  
  
"Arthur!" Merlin choked out; he felt the pull of Merlin trying to free his leg, but Arthur held him tightly.  
  
No time to get used to the sensation of Merlin's uncannily soft feet against the inside of his mouth, he sucked.   
  
His hearing going wonky, he heard Merlin's sharp intake of breath, Gwaine's moan, but it sounded far away. There was too much sensation from the warm flesh in his mouth. Arthur focused hard on sucking and spitting out the metallic tasting substance that filled his mouth.  
  
When he felt certain he'd done all he could to prevent more poison from seeping into Merlin's blood, he licked the sting mark clean, lapping his tongue over the bump on Merlin's foot before pulling away.   
  
Merlin let out a soft moan that wasn't pain but rather something else that sent shivers down Arthur's spine. He only then realized how hot he'd gotten; he felt a trickle of sweat running from his back. Only when he noticed how Merlin's skinny jeans had gotten tented around the area of his crotch did he realize his own arousal. He flushed scarlet.   
  
"Bloody hell," Arthur heard Gwaine say. He looked up at the man: the glassy brown eyes fixed on a point between Arthur and Merlin, as if he was in some sort of trance. Gwaine's jeans had gotten too tight as well. The heat recoiling in Arthur’s belly was part excitement, part shame and guilt. His brain screaming at him to get his act together and continue tending Merlin.  
  
"Ice," he said, his voice unrecognizably hoarse. "We need to get some ice on this."  
  
It seemed to shake Gwaine out of his reveries. "I've got cold beer in the cool box." Gwaine's trademark grin was back into place.  
  
Arthur rolled his eyes. "That'll do."  
  
With Merlin leaning on both Arthur and Gwaine for support, they managed to move him towards their tent and the campfire pit.   
  
All three of them were quiet for a long while after that. Gwaine was staring into the fire, seemingly lost in thoughts, the can of beer in his hand almost forgotten. Arthur, for his part, couldn't keep his eyes off Merlin, monitoring his breathing that had steadily gotten less erratic. Merlin's foot still looked twice its normal size. Even though his shoes had dried out by the fire, he wouldn't be able to squeeze his stung foot into one. At least it seemed to have stabilized. Merlin was lying down on top of two sleeping bags. He wasn't asleep; fidgeting, leg twisting; indicating he was still in pain.   
  
"He needs medication." Arthur broke the silence.   
  
Gwaine looked up sharply at that, his face uncharacteristically serious.  
  
"I'll be fine," Merlin said suddenly. It was the first thing he said ever since they got in their little set-up by the fire. "If it were a serious attack I'd have been really feverish by now. It just hurts still..."  
  
Merlin's voice was small and Arthur had to strain his hearing to make out what he was saying.  
  
Gwaine leaned towards Merlin, putting his hand to Merlin's forehead. "You feel absurdly hot."  
  
"I've been lying in front of a fire,” Merlin argued.  
  
Arthur moved closer to feel Merlin's temperature for himself. "You  _are_  really hot," he concluded, Merlin's skin feeling life fire under the palm of his hand.  
  
"What's gotten into you two," Merlin whined. "You're fussing over me like one big mother hen."  
  
Arthur didn't relent. He let his hand slide down to Merlin's neck; skin hot and soft, feeling for the steady but fast beat of Merlin's pulse.  
  
Merlin shied away from Arthur's touch. "Touching,” he muttered softly, “what's with all the touching?"  
  
Arthur blushed, suddenly becoming aware of the intimacy in his touches. His hand on Merlin, Gwaine plastered to his side... There was heat everywhere, radiating from their bodies and from the fire roaring beside them. It felt like the air had been sucked out of Arthur's lungs. He remained frozen on the spot.  
  
"Maybe that's not a bad idea," Gwaine said.  
  
Arthur looked up sharply at the cocky tone in Gwaine's voice.  
  
"What?" He finally released his hold on Merlin's neck.  
  
"Touch... Distraction..." Gwaine waved towards Merlin's swollen foot. "We could take his mind off the pain for a bit."  
  
Arthur swallowed, his mind racing. Was Gwaine saying what Arthur thought he was saying? He hadn't drunk enough to blame any of this on the alcohol.  
  
"Your foot hurts still?" Gwaine asked Merlin, his hand gently stroking the swollen area.  
  
"Y-yes," Merlin gasped. It was clear that even minor pressure on his foot still hurt a lot.   
  
"I could help,” Gwaine continued, hand moving upwards on Merlin’s leg. Merlin didn’t respond, he just watched Gwaine intently.  
  
Gwaine looked up at Arthur then. “It seems like he's willing," Gwaine said, rubbing his thumb over what was clearly a budding erection behind Merlin's denims.  
  
"Gwaine...!" Merlin exclaimed, sounding pained.  
  
It reminded Arthur of when he first discovered his sexuality; his football mates cracking sex jokes under the communal showers, showing off their junk. Arthur hadn't been able to tear his eyes away; looking at other guys' dicks too hard and too long. When one of them had started bragging about his girlfriend sucking him off, Arthur had known for sure, the idea of sucking another man's cock quickly becoming an obsession.  
  
"Hmm…." Merlin's moan sounded strained and Arthur snapped out of it.   
  
"Leave him be!" Arthur commanded, because Merlin's bits shouldn't be fondled against his will. He reached out to pull away Gwaine's hand, but before he could manage, another hand covered them both. Merlin pressed their hands tight against his erection. His face contorted with conflict, but his hand was moving them in slow circles over his cock.  
  
Neither of them spoke for a heartbeat. Merlin arched his back a bit, bucking against their hands.   
  
Yes, it would definitely be a distraction.  
  
Arthur started believing that maybe this could work. They were adults (barely, but still); mutual lust was something they could deal with.   
  
Gwaine's free hand rubbed experimentally against Arthur's crotch. Yes. They could deal with this very well.  
  
Gwaine continued to take the initiative, hand wriggling free from under Arthur and Merlin's, reaching for the button on Merlin's jeans. His nimble fingers made quick work of the button, Merlin's breathing speeding up in response.  
  
"Tell me you want this," Gwaine said softly as his hand lingered hesitantly on Merlin's closed zip. "I need to know for sure."  
  
There was such tenderness in Gwaine's voice. Arthur held his breath waiting for Merlin's response.  
  
It followed a moment's hesitation: "I want this. I want you both." Merlin had flushed scarlet, every trace of the earlier paleness gone. He looked embarrassed and couldn't hold either of their gazes.  
  
The words echoed in Arthur's head. He felt hot and cold all at once.  
  
Gwaine was using both his hands to gently ease off Merlin's jeans and pants, releasing a gorgeous cock, hard and pink at the tip.  
  
How had he ended up here? He'd invited himself on a camping trip to prevent Gwaine from making a move on his precious best friend. He'd never expected  _this_ , whatever this was... But one thing was certain: Merlin had been the object of too many of his sexual fantasies and he wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity like this. Together with his rival, they were going to get him off.   
  
Arthur watched transfixed as Gwaine took Merlin's cock in his hand, stroking over the shaft. At the same time Merlin reached out for Arthur's hand, squeezing it tightly, his body tense with arousal.  
  
"Good... I want to make it good," Gwaine said hoarsely.   
  
"Yes," Merlin responded, "fucking yes." Merlin let his legs fall open a bit, slowly relaxing under Gwaine’s touch.  
  
"I want to..." Arthur started, and then stopped because he didn't know what he wanted. Having a mind of its own, his free hand, the one not being caught off from circulation by Merlin's tight squeeze, was pressed against his groin, palming his own erection.  
  
Gwaine looked up at him, a small smile on his face, the fire casting him in a golden light. Once again Arthur found breathing the hardest thing in the world.  
  
Gwaine suddenly released Merlin's cock, eliciting a small moan of protest. He held it out in front of Arthur: "Suck," he said simply, "it'll make it smoother, better."  
  
Arthur stared at Gwaine's hand. His body knowing he wanted before he did. He'd already leaned forward. Feeling both men's eyes on him, Arthur lapped his tongue against Gwaine's palm.  
  
The taste was strangely salty. At first, Arthur explored Gwaine's hand in short, shallow licks, smoothing over the lines and calluses. The scent of Merlin already clung to Gwaine's hand. Arthur's licks became more urgent, harder until he was full on sucking Gwaine's fingers into his mouth one by one, his tongue helping the saliva spread out everywhere he could reach.   
  
"Fuck that's hot," Gwaine moaned. Merlin whined.   
  
Finally, Gwaine’s fingers were released and Arthur watched as Gwaine set his newly slicked hand to the task of stroking Merlin, the taste of Gwaine a lingering presence in his mouth.  
  
He startled when Merlin's hand released his and travelled towards his waistband, slipping inside slowly, searching.   
  
Merlin quickly found what he was looking for, grasping Arthur's cock without hesitation and quickly matching the rhythm of Gwaine's hand.  
  
They stayed like that for several moments.  
  
"Let's do this properly," Gwaine said patting away Merlin's hand, much to Arthur's frustration.  
  
Gwaine commenced with unfastening his belt buckle. Arthur watched intently as Gwaine shifted as more of the firelight reached all of the right places. Gwaine shed his trousers and pants entirely, rolling them up in a ball and tossing them in the direction of their tent. He looked so comfortable being half-naked that Arthur felt a surge of jealousy. He couldn't linger on it for too long, Gwaine grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him into a searing kiss.   
  
Kissing Gwaine was like nothing Arthur had ever experienced. It was vicious and demanding. It tasted like beer, the canned spaghetti they’d had for dinner and something that had to be uniquely Gwaine. Gwaine, who put  _everything_  into the kiss; lips, tongue, teeth, stubble… It was making Arthur dizzy with want.  _Gwaine_  was making Arthur want things so badly. His hands were buried in Gwaine’s soft long hair, Gwaine returning the movement by tugging a fistful of hair in Arthur’s neck.   
  
He nearly came apart entirely when he felt Merlin working the buttons and zip on his own trousers. Hands shoving the material down, over his cock none too gently. Arthur groaned loudly, breaking the kiss.   
  
“Just… I want to see you,” Merlin said, his voice strained with need.  
  
Arthur managed to get his trousers down to his knees until he gave into the urge to kiss Merlin, nearly lying on top of him. Exploring Merlin’s mouth was all kinds of delicious. He’d been missing out. They should have done it before; all those times they studied together at arm’s length. This was so much better than political philosophy!   
  
Suddenly a cold hand touched his buttocks. Arthur hadn’t even been aware he’d stuck his bare arse in the air until Gwaine took advantage of it. Intuitively Arthur shied away, looking up inquisitively.   
  
Gwaine just grinned. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”  
  
“Right,” Arthur replied weakly.  
  
“What do you want?”  
  
It took Arthur a moment to realize Gwaine had asked  _him_  and not Merlin.  
  
“I want to…” He swallowed. He knew very well what he wanted; what he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off since they’d gotten started. He looked at Merlin. “I want to suck you.”  
  
Merlin’s eyes widened, but no objections followed. Arthur knew he had to do it before he lost his nerve. So he bent forward, not thinking about Gwaine and his straying hands, and took Merlin’s engorged flesh into his mouth, much like he’d done earlier with Merlin’s foot.  
  
It was a thousand times better. The flesh was hot and smelled like Merlin and Merlin alone, a familiar and yet at the same time entirely new sensation. The sounds Merlin made were genuine pleasure; loud and uninhibited in a way that Arthur had never heard Merlin before.   
  
Hands were everywhere. Gwaine’s hand had found Arthur’s cock, the moist feel of it sending shivers down Arthur’s back. One of Merlin’s hands had got itself tangled in Arthur’s hair, the other reached for every bit of Gwaine he could touch and pet, finally settling on Gwaine’s cock, rubbing it against Arthur’s hip.  
  
They didn’t last long. They  _couldn’t_  last long like this. Arthur felt Merlin’s fingers tighten their hold on Arthur’s hair.   
  
“Arthur…” Merlin moaned, “Arthur, I’m…” Arthur didn’t need any further warning. He drew back from Merlin’s shaft until only the tip remained between his lips. Arthur dipped his tongue into the slit until he felt Merlin’s cock beginning to pulse.   
  
He had never thought about swallowing but he did it anyway, hoping neither Merlin nor Gwaine noticed the grimace he made at the taste.  
  
“Gods Arthur. You are… That was…” He’d reduced Merlin to incoherency. Merlin had never been particularly eloquent, but now he sounded ridiculously sexed out and happy. He was quite a bit gorgeous like that. Arthur kissed him again, not caring that Merlin would taste himself, finding it hot, even. Gwaine sped up their rhythm and soon the both of them followed Merlin into that post-orgasmic bliss.   
  
They stayed like that for a long time, their heartbeats slowly reducing to a normal pace, lying on top of each other in a mess of entangled limbs. Finally, the fire had died out and it was getting too cold.   
  
They managed to get into the tent, zipping their sleeping bags up together ‘for warmth’, when it really was because they couldn’t stand not touching each other. They fell asleep, smelling of burnt wood and sex.   
  
***  
  
  
"I'd never thought I'd enjoy camping quite this much," Arthur said cockily when they were packing up.  
  
"What happened to Mr. 'Outdoor skills'?" Merlin retorted.  
  
"I may have exaggerated a bit," Arthur admitted. "Honestly, what's so fun about grass stains and little twigs sticking in your hair?" He hadn't even mentioned the insects!   
  
"I bet there's a whole branch sticking up  _your_  arse," Gwaine's voice came from behind. "Don't worry though, we'll knock it right out and then replace it with something better," Gwaine finished, leering.  
  
Arthur's mouth dropped open slightly and Merlin's cheeks reddened; but from the look in Merlin's eyes, Arthur knew he was already anticipating it. That in turn set Arthur's cheeks aflame.  
  
"Come on, princess," Gwaine said patting Arthur's shoulder. He tossed Arthur the keys. "You drive. We're going to yours. I bet you have the biggest bed."  
  
Arthur caught the keys and obligingly moved towards the driver's seat. How he was going to explain to his father that two friends from uni were coming over to 'play', he didn't know. But they'd make it work.  
  
  
Fin.


End file.
